SB&J Burger
Dave and I enjoyed many fine meals while we were at the Ancestral Healthy Symposium: among them were Animal with our paleo foodie friends and 26 Beach in Venice, on the recommendation of Melissa & Dallas of Whole9Life.
To get to Venice, we rented bikes in Santa Monica and rode along the beach. What a day! The sky was brilliant blue and the temperature was in the high 70s, a refreshing treat given the summer we’re having in Austin. (Yesterday we broke the all-time record for 100+ degree days in a year; we’re at 70 days so far.)
The Santa Monica beach looks just like the movies: a wide expanse of sand with a meandering bike bath that leads to the Santa Monica pier with its iconic ferris wheel. The bike path disappears under the pier – home of vampires, naturally – and then leads to Venice. Along the way, there’s a skate park, pullup bars and gymnastics rings, drum circles, and plenty of rollerbladers in bikinis.
Dave did some pretty badass vaults on the graffiti wall near the skate park.
Then we biked around Marina Del Rey and walked out a jetty to fraternize with the seagulls and pelicans. I was lucky to see a bulbous, snorting sea lion – named Bobo, according to the fishermen – but he was camera shy.
All that nature worked up our appetites, and we headed to 26 Beach, a sun-filled restaurant known for its hamburgers – generous slabs of beef topped with unusual ingredients. Here’s a gratuitous picture of my husband because he looked so handsome that day, with the restaurant’s shabby chic decor in the background.
I had “Chef Katsu’s Original California Roll Burger” without a bun: Angus beef, snow crab salad, avocado, pickled ginger, shredded nori, and shoyu-wasabi-aioli. The interplay of textures was luscious, and the aioli had just the right amount of nose-rush.
26 Beach "California Roll Burger"
But Dave really picked the winner. The peanut butter and jelly burger. One bite, and I decided I needed to try to recreate a paleo version at home. It’s totally weird and also totally scrumptious. The creamy texture of the nut butter is a lovely contrast to the grilled meat – and the strawberries are tangy-sweet.
26 Beach "Peanut Butter & Jelly Burger"
Here’s the home version with no bun, Sunbutter standing in for the peanut butter, and sautéed strawberries taking the place of the jelly. It’s a damn fine recreation of the restaurant burger, without all the annoying anti-nutrients. I’m excited to try the “jelly” technique on other fruits – peaches, apricots, pineapple, and other berry varieties should also work really well.
Homemade SB&J Burger
Sunbutter Burger
Makes 2
Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
8 ounces ground beef
salt & pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons organic (sugar-free) Sunbutter or almond butter
1-2 scallions, green tops only, thinly sliced
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix the strawberries, lemon juice, and ginger; set aside.
2. Generously season the ground beef with salt and pepper, form into patties, and cook your favorite way. I like to grill them on the gas grill so they’re crispy on the outside, but pan fried would be really tasty, too.
3. While the burgers are cooking, heat a small saucepan over medium-high. Pour the strawberries and their juice into the pan and sauté the berries until they’re very soft and syrupy. They should be reduced to about 1/4 cup. Allow to cool a bit.
4. Put the Sunbutter in a microwave-safe dish and heat until thinned, about 40 seconds.
5. When the burgers are done, top each with 1 tablespoon of melted Sunbutter and 1-2 tablespoons of the strawberry “jelly,” then sprinkle with scallions.
Tags: American, beef, sunbutter
31 Responses to “SB&J Burger”
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I used the love the peanut butter bacon burger at The Velvet Dog in New Orleans. Best alcohol absorber ever.
Hmmm… I think next time we’re going to try Maple Almond Butter, sauteed blackberries, and a little crumbled bacon. YUMMY!!!
Whoa!! Just tried this….heck yes!!! Crazy amazing!! Thanks Mel, it’ll be making an appearance on Sweet Cheeks with a shout out to ya
Hooray! Thanks, Sweet Cheeks!
Oh, yum. I just shared this on my Google Reader for the benefit of my fellow sunbutter lovin’ friends.
Awesome. Thanks for sharing it!
Oh no. Must fight uncontrollable urge to run home and make this right now.
Scott
-Okra Guy
Okra Guy! You are going to be SO happy when you eat this. Enjoy!
Mel,
Glad you guys braved the PB&J burger. I’m adventurous with food, but that just seemed WRONG. Good on you for being braver than me – and enjoying it!
D.
It was INSANELY creamy good. But I only had two bites ’cause of the whole peanut butter issue. But the other night? When I made it at home? I ate EVERY BITE.
Your blog makes me so happy! Oodles of delicious recipes + fantastic whit – that’s a winning combo! I’ve already stolen a few from you, and I have to admit, I’m ridiculously excited to make this for dinner tomorrow night!
Thanks, Cate! Let me know how you like the SB&J burger. I can’t decide if I’m a weirdo for liking it, or if everyone else is missing the boat
as nancy said, you’re definitely not crazy! this was so tasty. i think the next time i make it i’m going to add some more savory spices to the hamburger though, bring out that yummy ground beef flavor a bit. AND, i love the idea of cherries!
Whew! Glad you liked it, too. Let me know you you season the burgers… I was thinking about trying a little ginger and garlic next time. Unless we go with the bacon. Then probably just garlic.
Genius. Delicious. I used cherries and cooked the burgers in a little bit of bacon grease. I will definitely make this again.
So I’m not crazy, right?! It *IS* insanely tasty. YAY!
Wow, file this one under, things that should never go togegether…but go together SO WELL! Thanks!
Right?! It should work, but it totally does. YUMMO.
[...] 5, 2011 by The Foodee SB&J Burger The Clothes Make the [...]
[...] don’t know if you saw this on HCF website via Foodee via The Clothes Make the Girl, but I had to post this. To be honest, I’ve never purchased these silly looking burgers [...]
[...] article: chasing greatness and beating it down recipe: sbj burger [...]
Crazy?! No way; made this for dinner tonight alongside roasted broccoli, and I think this is my new favorite paleo meal! So good and satisfying. Thanks for the recipe!
Hooray! Welcome to the weirdo club! So glad you like it — and thanks for letting me know.
[...] Recipe – SB&J Burger – The Clothes Make The [...]
Reminds me of a recipe I often make (and also wondered if I was weird for making this concoction). But hubby and friends really love it. And so easy & quick.
-Sauté chunks of chicken breast ( I use some coconut oil)
- when browned, add a couple big spoonfuls of almond butter.
- add 1 or 2 cups of salsa ( I like using really spicy salsa)
- stir it all up, put on a lid and simmer on low for 5-10min
So rich and yummy.
You can play with the ratio of salsa to almond butter. If you have a bit more time, it’s nice to marinate the chicken (I use Tamari or Coconut Aminos plus garlic and ginger).
Green onions make a nice topping to serve.
Will sometimes serve atop cauliflower rice for more substantial meal.
Who knew nut butter & salsa could combine to create something so yummy!!
That sounds GREAT! It’s almost like a really quick, on-the-fly mole… love that! I wonder what would happen if you added just a tiny bit of unsweetened cocoa with the almond butter. Hmmm…
In the nicest possible way, I always thought you Americans were crazy for eating peanut butter and jam (jelly) together.. BUT I felt like something a bit crazy & paleo is making me more adventurous so I gave it a try and OH MY TASTY GOSH it is delicious! Can’t wait for the appropriate amount of days to pass so I can make it again!
Right?! It’s crazy-good! So glad you enjoyed it… and now you’ve inspired me to make this tonight. I’m going to make a more savory version: almond butter with cumin and cayenne, blackberry “jam”, and maybe a strip of bacon.
Wow! The only reason I made this is because of how good you said it was because honestly to me, it sounded really weird. I am so happy I made this tonight for dinner. Can’t believe how yummie it was! The strawberry jam was PERFECT! Thanks for the recipe!
To be fair, I did say it’s weird AND good
I’m so glad you tried it. And now I’m totally hungry for one. Thanks!
Mel,
I almost had a riot in my household with this burger. I made the burger for guests as we cheered for our Houston Texans tonight. I used a mixture of bison and ground beef, mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries), almond butter, and crumbled some bacon on top. I also made the cumin roasted carrots in lieu of fries. OMG!! Now I am the cool a$$ wife of the group. THANKS!!!
YAY! Way to knock your peoples’ socks off with sneaky good food. I think we should just pretend that you and I are responsible for the Texans victory — it was all the good vibes from the food
My husband was gone tonight so I thought I would try this! Have to be honest it was a little skeptical but you haven’t steered me wrong yet
. SO GOOD. I am pumped for leftovers already. Thank you!!
I *did* warn that it’s weird and also ridiculously delicious
[...] forward to last month when I came across a recipe for SB&J Burgers on the fine Paleo blog, The Clothes Make the Girl. I immediately had to see if I could recreate the taste I remembered from childhood. To make [...]
[...] First, a vegetarian diet of processed food does not a healthy diet make. Cheese bagels, Maltesers, crisps and weekend Bacardi Breezers? As a staple diet?! Oh my goodness, get some nourishment woman! Eat some proper protein and fat at every meal; maybe some tofu and a bit of avocado. You could even ditch the vegetarian diet and have one with fresher foods, that included the occasional free range and totally delicious burger. I think that would be super healthy and instead of ‘impressing’ boys by smoking and wearing low cuts tops (cough), you could totally be the girl who makes an awesome burger. [...]
Just made these exactly as above, except with ground bison meat. I really didn’t expect it to be as tasty as it was. I made one with almond butter and it worked just as well. My 9 year old daughter scarfed em up with me. Strawberries, onions, and sunflower seed paste on meat… yummy!